Geospatial World II September 2010

MARKET RESEARCH

18

IINNDDIIAA on a rollIT IS WELL ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE INDIAN GEOSPATIAL INDUSTRY IS

WITNESSING A GROWTH RATE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN WORLDWIDE

AVERAGE OR THAT OF ANY OTHER COUNTRY. SEVERAL SURVEYS HAVE TRIED

TO MEASURE THIS GROWTH TRAIL WITH NOT MUCH OF SUCCESS. IN THIS

EDITION, GEOSPATIAL WORLD BRINGS A SCIENTIFIC MARKET RESEARCH WITH

DETAILED QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE IINNDDIIAANN IINNDDUUSSTTRRYY DDYYNNAAMMIICCSS IINN

AASSSSOOCCIIAATTIIOONN WWIITTHH DDAAVVEE SSOONNNNEENN, CONSULTANT, IDC

ll

Geospatial World II September 2010

India's 'Vision 2020' envisages the nation evolvinginto an information society and knowledge econo-my built on the edifice of information and commu-

nication technology (ICT). ICT including geospatialtechnologies is being integrated into planning andmanagement of natural resources, utilities, infra-structure and urban development and transport sec-tors. Geospatial information technology (GIT) is beingassimilated into planning and management to moni-tor, evaluate and apply spatial planning and decisionsupport systems (SPDSS) and is also a front runningagenda for major government agencies.

MARKET POTENTIAL

The Indian geospatial industry's current annual produc-tive capacity is about `3,944 Cr (39.44 billion) (`representsIndian Rupee). The industry is expected to grow at acumulative average rate of 8.1% to a productive capacityof `5,818 Cr. (58.18 billion) by 2014. The total allocation forvarious projects incorporating geospatial technologyamong other components in different sectors is`623,494.8 Cr and considering that even 1% of this alloca-tion is meant for geospatial technologies, the geospatialcomponent works out to be `6,234 Cr.

MARKET OVERVIEW

The Indian geospatial industry consists of two distinct butmutually supporting segments. The larger, internationalsegment is geared to provide geospatial data and soft-ware development services for international organisa-tions, primarily in North America and Western Europe.The other segment, the domestic segment, caters to pro-

viding geospatial capabilities to the Indian dataproviders/users. This segment is funded, managed andcontrolled largely by national and state governments. Anumber of Indian firms are contracted to provide servicesfor government initiatives. India's bimodal industry struc-ture creates high market potential and worrisome con-

19

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PPrriitthhvviirraajj CChhaavvaannMinister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Govt of India

TTaabbllee 11:: BBuuddggeettaarryy AAllllooccaattiioonn iinn 1111tthh PPllaann ffoorr GGeeoossppaattiiaall PPrroojjeeccttss ((22000077--1122))

SScchheemmeessAAmmoouunntt ((`CCrr))

WWaatteerr RReessoouurrcceess

Water Resource Information System 230

National Hydrology Project 150

Hydrology Project - II 180

EEnnvviirroonnmmeenntt aanndd FFoorreesstt RReessoouurrcceess

Forest Information Management and Resource Assessment 300

Strengthening of Computer/GIS Centre 5

LLaanndd RReessoouurrcceess

National Land Records Modernisation Programme/National LandResource Management Programme (NLRMP)

1000

AAggrriiccuullttuurree

Development of National Database and Information forNatural resource Management

798

Climate Change, Risk and Disaster Management, Agro-climaticResearch Programs

170

Development of Crop Potential Maps 10

IIrrrriiggaattiioonn

Application of GIS/GPS in river inflow/discharge measurements, Flood Forecasting etc.

1.5

Major and Medium Irrigation - Design, Surveys and Investigation 350

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National Urban Information System 9.47

TTrraannssppoorrtt

Maintenance of National Waterways - Setting up of DGPS 52

Railway Information System, LRDSS, MIS and other IT applications 52

Remote Control and automation of lighthouses 2.5

R-APDRP - Part A (Core Geospatial) 1500

SSppaaccee AApppplliiccaattiioonnss

DMS, VRC, NR Management, etc. 1752

GGrraanndd TToottaall 66556622..4477

What's in…

Market potential

Market overview

Policies, standards & best practices

Productive capacity

Way ahead

represents Indian Rupee

Cover Story

straints. While India's geospatial market potential hasnever been higher, realising this potential would be chal-lenging. The Indian growth rate is significantly higher thanworldwide geospatial industry growth. This can be attrib-uted to the following factors.

EEccoonnoommiicc rreeccoovveerryy

The macro economic recovery is still fragile, volatile butpositive. Assuming continuing improvement, the Indianeconomy is poised to grow about 6.5% in 2010, one of themost robust GDP growth rates worldwide.

Growth of India's international geospatial businesswill depend largely on the economic recovery of interna-tional economies and businesses. Right now, recoveryrates in North America and Europe are at least positive, awelcome change from 2009's contraction. Plannedspending on internal Indian geospatial projects is almostas high as India's total productive capacity. So, internal

geospatial growth will depend on two interrelated factors:how the GOI spends its planned budgets; and how theindustry develops capacity to meet internal demand.

Economic recovery will create another interestingmarket potential. In a recession, customers questionexisting processes and cut all but essential elements. Aseconomic conditions improve, customers have a freshperspective of what was possible with less. When theybegin to invest again, users will jump on innovations thatprovide a major advance cheaper, faster or better.

Outsourcing of data acquisition and software develop-ment to India will still be considered a proven way forcompanies to do more. It is expected that the outsourcingbusiness will increase at a brisk rate as the worldwideeconomic recovery continues unless hampered by protec-tionism in certain geographies.

GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt iinniittiiaattiivveess

The Government of India (GOI) has budgeted wide range ofinitiatives that have a significant geospatial component.These initiatives, along with state and local level initia-tives, have the potential to motivate a much strongerinternal capacity for Indian geospatial technologies.

The geospatial data usage in India is supported to alarge extent by initiatives set out by the Federal govern-ment through its ministries and various departments.While defence is the major user of geospatial technolo-gies, the initial lead for the usage of geospatial technolo-gies in India was taken by the natural resources sector.Now, solutions such as decision support systems, assetmanagement, enterprise wide risk assessment etc. haveopened up avenues for this technology in almost everysector. The recommendations of the steering committeesand the working groups for the 11th Five Year Plan for themajority of sectors highlight the importance of usinggeospatial tools in proper functioning of the sector andindicate the commencement of a new phase for thegeospatial sector. As shown in Table 1,in the 11th FiveYear Plan, majority of the sectors have emphasised on theusage of geospatial data in their current functioning andlaunched various new schemes which mandate the use ofgeospatial technology.

In addition to the schemes highlighted in Figure 1,there are various other schemes which are not essential-ly geospatial but will use geospatial tools and technolo-gies as an aid, such as schemes for construction andmaintenance of roads, railways and waterways, civil avia-

Geospatial World II September 201020

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KKaappiill SSiibbaallMinister for Human Resource Development

Government of India

SSppaaccee AApppplliiccaattiioonnss

LLaanndd

WWaatteerr

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FFiigguurree 11:: 11th

Plan Allocation (%) for Geospatial Projects (2007-2012)

PPoowweerr

AAggrriiccuullttuurree

EEnnvv && FFoorreessttss

TTrraannssppoorrtt

tion, public utility services, education, health, commandarea development, flood management programme, floodcontrol, urban renewal, urban water supply, rural watersupply, Integrated Watershed Management Programmeetc. , as shown in Figure 2.

IITT ttrraannssffoorrmmaattiioonn

Information technology (IT) is transforming into a founda-tion-level capacity for world economies. In the geospatialarena, transformational influences will come from threedirections - advances in information and communicationstechnologies (ICT); advances in worldwide geospatialtechnologies; from cultural and political changes, includ-ing the open movement and a compulsive push towardsbroad economic development.

The rate of change in Indian geospatial capacity tendsto be slower than in North America and Europe and partsof Asia for two basic reasons:

First, the acquisition and dissemination of Indiangeospatial data (particularly aerial remote sensing) issubject to certain policies of the Government of India(defence/internal security). While the Indian capabilities inthe area of Earth Observation (EO) are world class, datadissemination, particularly to private organisations isagain subject to these policies.

Second, in view of the above 'restrictions to growth' inthe domestic market, Indian geospatial capacity has beendeveloped, to a large extent, to address the requirementsof international businesses. These requirements are like-ly to undergo paradigm changes brought about byincreased automation/ technological innovations. Thusthe current capacities, built on the requirements of theexisting international markets, may not be sustainable.Today, India's geospatial industry is well-equipped tohandle current requirements. But, asthe pace of IT transformationaccelerates, geospatial dataacquisition and programmingwill be increasingly automat-ed, reducing the demand forcurrent capacities. Geospa-tial capabilities will becomean important but invisibleelement in most informationsystems.

To keep pace, India will haveto develop substantial new

capacities for design, development and deep systemsintegration. These capabilities are likely to be substantial-ly different from those required to meet current marketrequirements.

The Indian geospatial industry, however, could likelybe constrained by the following factors:

• Lack of skilled manpower and inadequate education/ train-ing for geospatial technologies

• Policies and planning for GOI geospatial projects not beingadequate in certain sectors

• Competition from other Asian countries

• Security impediments to data acquisition/dissemination andlack of accountability in the government which comes in theway of rapid deployment of new technologies

• Technological innovations which may shrink demand fortraditional geospatial data acquisition and software program-ming services.

POLICIES, STANDARDS AND BEST PRACTICES

It is often said that, "If you don't get governance right, it ishard to do anything right." This truism certainly applies toinformation systems. As earlier mentioned, the Indiangeospatial industry has adapted well to international poli-cies, standards and best practices conforming to thenorms of offshore services. Now, India requires a signifi-cant geospatial capacity, conforming to the domestic

market requirements fostered by forward looking poli-cies.

Current GOI initiatives offer little guidanceabout geospatial standards, data reuse oraccess. Policy makers and the industry willhave to cooperate on these

}TThhee ppoolliittiiccaall ssyysstteemm iiss ffuullllyy bbeehhiinndd tthhee iinndduussttrryy,, iinntteerreesstteedd iinn ddeevveellooppiinngg tthhiissccaappaabbiilliittyy iinn tthhee ccoouunnttrryy aass aa bbuussiinneesssspprrooppoossiittiioonn aanndd pprroovviiddiinngg lleeaaddeerrsshhiipp ttoo tthheewwoorrlldd iinn tthhiiss aarreeaa

DDrr.. KK KKaassttuurriirraannggaannMember, Planning Commission

Government of India

21Geospatial World II September 2010

important matters building models for effective utilisationof available funds in a time-bound fashion.

Fortunately, one can take advantage of the consider-able expertise and established standards that are avail-able from organisations like the Open Geospatial Consor-tium (OGC). How well the Indian policy makers and theindustry are able to implement the advice of OGC and oth-ers will have a significant impact on the growth prospectof the industry.

PRODUCTIVE CAPACITY

Due to the service oriented nature of Indian geospatialindustry, it is pertinent to look at productive capacity tounderstand the current geospatial industry, predictgrowth rates and assess the impact of future market fac-tors. The estimated total productive capacity for 2009 isshown in Table 2, while Table 3 shows the estimatedgeospatial revenue capacity for 2010-2014.

WAY AHEAD

It is expected that the annual growth rate will slightlyexceed GDP for 2011 and 2012 as global economies con-tinue to recover. Figure 3 highlights the percentagegrowth for the Indian geospatial industry vis-a-vis world-wide growth, while the projected revenue capacity for theIndian geospatial industry is shown in Figure 4. There is asignificant increase expected in productive capacity after2012 as India's geospatial industry builds out capacity fornew international and internal markets. Like India's GDP,the growth of India's geospatial market will outpacegrowth rate for geospatial markets in the rest of theworld. The market assumption and impacts are shown inTable 4. There are several ways in which vendors andusers can gear up to realise the full potential of theexpanding Indian geospatial market. With the Indian

Geospatial World II September 201022

TTrraannssppoorrtt aanndd IInnffrraassttrruuccttuurree

RRuurraall DDeevveellooppmmeenntt

IIrrrriiggaattiioonn aanndd WWaatteerr RReessoouurrcceess

NNRREE,, AAggrriiccuullttuurree aanndd CClliimmaattee

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PPoowweerr

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FFiigguurree 22:: 11th

Plan Allocation (%) for Projects using Geospatial

technologies in different sectors (2007-2012)

NNoottee:: There is a wide variance in productivity factors between different organisations. Theproductivity factor used in this analysis is typical, but may not apply to a given organisation.

NNoottee:: The worldwide (WW) growth rates are a consensus of growth rates for the geospa-tial industry from IDC and other analyst firms.

TTaabbllee 22:: EEssttiimmaatteedd TToottaall PPrroodduuccttiivvee CCaappaacciittyy:: 22000099

TTuurrnnoovveerr ccaatteeggoorryy NNoo.. ooff EEmmppllooyyeeeess RReevveennuuee EEssttiimmaattee ((ccrroorree))

1) < ` 10M 1,710 191.5

2 ` 10-25M 2,091 247.0

3 ` 25-100M 2,661 314.4

4 ` 100-250M 3,969 468.8

5 ` >250M 23,049 2,722.6

TToottaall 3333,,448800 33,,994444..44

US$ 870,620,874

Typical Productivity Factor

3.5

TTaabbllee 33:: EEssttiimmaatteedd RReevveennuuee CCaappaacciittyy FFoorreeccaasstt:: 22001100--22001144

22001100 22001111 22001122 22001133 22001144 CCAAGGRR

Revenue capacity(in `crore)

3,944.4 4,244.1 4,621.8 5,181.1 5,818.4 8.1

India Growth (%) 6.5 7.6 8.9 12.1 12.3

WW Growth (%) 2.3 3.4 6.8 7.1 7.9

FFiigguurree 33:: Percentage Growth

14.00

12.00

10.00

8.00

6.00

4.00

2.00

0.00

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

India Growth (%) Worldwide Growth (%)

Microsoft Vexcel AdPage 23

Geospatial World II September 201024

geospatial industry being bi-modal, one segment servic-ing international markets, and the other segment servinginternal needs, it is prudent to address the two segmentsseparately.

RReeccoommmmeennddaattiioonnss

IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall ggeeoossppaattiiaall sseerrvviiccee iinndduussttrryy

PPrreeppaarree ffoorr gglloobbaall IITT aanndd sseerrvviiccee ttrraannssffoorrmmaattiioonn.. Infor-mation technology is transforming to an always-on, real-time phenomena that pervades every aspect of businessand social life. In the past, IT involved the maintenance ofmainframe systems that were connected to PCs. Now, ITis about a complex network of computers, phones, build-ing automation, sensors and mobile devices that aredeeply imbedded in the fabric of business and industry.Web 2.0 and real-time business analytics are drivingapplications directly to the customer or employee andbecoming mission-critical on the way.

In the transforming IT environment, the geospatialinformation part of IT infrastructure will be constantlyupdated by location-specific transactions and sensors -automatically. Open standards and increasingly openaccess will make geospatial information an integral, butinvisible part of customer and business experience. Thistransformation may take a decade to realise. As IT trans-formation progresses, traditional project-based geospa-tial services are likely to become increasingly less neces-sary and may eventually diminish. Indian businesses/geospatial industry needs to adapt to this transformationby building deeper design, innovation and service deliverycapabilities, so that they are ready for new IT demands.The key is to continue to remain relevant and viable in thisdynamic environment.

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MMaaccrrooeeccoonnoommiiccss

EconomicRecovery

Global economies will continue to recov-er at generally slow rates for 2010 and2011. After 2011, worldwide GDPs willreturn to near-normal rates in mostcountries.

High (+) A down economy affects businessand consumer confidence, investment andinternal funding. Geospatial markets will beinhibited worldwide through 2011.

India's GDP

India's economy will outpace most othereconomies, achieving a growth rate of6.5% in 2010. India will see robust GDPgrowth for the rest of the forecast period

High (+). Indian Geospatial markets will growat relatively high rates for the forecast period

Other Asianeconomies

Most Asian countries are developingtechnology service capabilities. Thosecapabilities will continue to grow duringthe forecast period

Moderate(-) Other Asian countries will be ableto compete with India on price, forcing Indiantechnology service providers to differentiate inother ways

Protectionistpolicies

As unemployment remains high, somecountries may enact protectionist poli-cies that inhibit outsourcing to India.

High (-) If one or more of the countries thatoutsource to India enact protectionist policies,the Indian outsourcing industry will diminishproportionately

GOI initiativesThe Government of India will continue tofund significant economic and civil infra-structure initiatives at planned rates.

High (+) Most GOI initiatives will require significant additional geospatial capacity.

TTeecchhnnoollooggyy//SSeerrvviiccee DDeevveellooppmmeennttss

Geospatial & IT Standards

Standards will continue to grow in impor-tance within IT systems. OGC standardswill become a common requirement formany IT systems that incorporateGeospatial capabilities.

High(+)The intelligent use of standards accel-erates IT development and lowers implementa-tion risks, making Geospatial technologiesmore attractive and less risky to implement.

IT transformation

IT transformation and ICT convergencewill continue and are likely to accelerate

High(+/-) Geospatial capabilities will increas-ingly become an element within transformedICT environments, broadening markets, butrequiring new skills and business models.

Mobility

User interfaces and computing aremigrating to mobile devices at the edgesof the network. This migration will occurquickly and will change the dominantdesign of information systems. Mobiledevices generate volumes of geospatialdata that can be analyzed and used.

High(+) Mobility and mobility devices will cre-ate a whole new range of Geospatial applica-tions and business. However, those applica-tions will be completely different than the traditional. Vendors will have to retool to meetdemand. After a period of adjustment, mobilitywill sharply increase Geospatial opportunities.

Cloud computing

Cloud computing appears to be a disrup-tive technology. Early clouds will simplyduplicate current IT approaches. Butgoing forward, clouds will become plat-forms for a new generation of enterpriseIT capabilities. Geospatial technologieswill become an invisible and often mar-ginal element in those clouds.

High (+/-) Cloud computing will decrease theneed for traditional systems integration andwill change the requirements and profitabilityof established service providers. In the shortrun, vendors will see decreased revenue andincreased competition. In the longer term,cloud computing will open significant new markets.

LLaabboorr SSuuppppllyy

Supply ofskilledGeospatialworkers

India's educational systems are not providing a sufficient number of skilledGeospatial workers. Many of the currentcurricula are training people for yesterday's jobs.

Moderate (-) The lack of skilled workers willconstrain the development of new Geospatialcapacity and will drive labor costs higher.

Capitalization

Venture capital The lack of venture capital and otherfunding mechanisms for new ventureswill persist.

Moderate (-) Few new Geospatial startups willbe able to break out of their initial niches. Mostnew business will accrue to established firms

MMaarrkkeett CChhaarraacctteerriissttiiccss

GovernmentPolicies

Indian policies are likely to continue toconstraint the access to Geospatial information and hence not likely to foster the use of standards or design for integration.

Moderate (-) Policy constraints likely to impede the acquisition and dissemination ofGeospatial data and thus limiting developmentof new Geospatial business

Open SourceOpen Source software will continue tobe a strong influence in enterprise andconsumer-facing systems.

Moderate (+/-) Open Source software tendsto drive prices lower and also tends to broadenthe reach of IT systems. Open Source willbecome an important tool in keeping Indiantechnology costs competitive

Convergingconsumer andenterpriseexpectations

Increasingly, enterprise users expect thesame simple interfaces, sophisticatedsearch and free access that they experience as consumers.

High (+/-) Geospatial systems will have toadopt interfaces and capabilities found in consumer applications. Applications thatrequire extensive training will fare poorly.Meeting these user expectations will requireretooling many development processes

MMaarrkkeett EEccoossyysstteemm

User as participant &data provider

Users will take an increasingly active role as participants, data providers andco-designers of the information systemsthey use.

High (+/-) The user's changing role will obso-lete many current practices and conventions.Vendors may be able to benefit from moreactive user participation.

TTaabbllee 44:: MMaarrkkeett AAssssuummppttiioonnss aanndd IImmppaaccttss

FFiigguurree 44:: Revenue Capacity (`Cr)

6,000.00

5,000.00

4,000.00

3,000.00

2,000.00

1,000.00

0.00

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Revenue Capacity (Rs. Crore)

ITC AdPage 25

erally. Emulating India's example, most other Asian coun-tries are developing their own IT service capacities. Manyservice firms are developing "multi-shoring" capabilitiesand are working on ways to standardise technologies /production methods, deliver services online, and expandinto business services. These capabilities can make theservice firm an integral part of their customers' opera-tions. That is good news for some service firms, but this islikely to diminish the project-based work.

The remaining work will likely be picked up by lower-cost service firms elsewhere in Asia. Understandably, themargins here would be lower. The response to this evolv-ing situation is similar to the response needed for thebroad IT transformation discussed earlier. Indian compa-nies will need to develop the capabilities required tobecome an integral, always-on part of their customer's ITinfrastructure. This will require new skills, capabilitiesand business models.

IImmppoorrttaannccee ooff ooppeenn ssttaannddaarrddss aanndd ooppeenn ssoouurrccee.. Therehas often been an adversarial relation-

ship between IT vendors and theopen community. But now, openstandards and open sourcehave established their valueand can no longer be ignored.Open standards, like thosedeveloped by OGC, enabledata sharing, reduce develop-ment costs and lower imple-mentation risk. Open sourcesoftware can provide a power-ful way to extend informationsystems to much broaderaudiences and can increasefinancial returns. Open

approaches can also lowershort-term profits, so new busi-ness models and customer rela-tionships are required. But, the

returns from open, standardised approaches almostalways outweigh the costs.

IInntteerrnnaall ggeeoossppaattiiaall sseerrvviiccee iinndduussttrryy

India's international geospatial industry is mature, effi-cient and well-organised. India's internal geospatial situ-ation appears in sharp contrast - at crossroads, emergingfrom a 'closed' environment to a gradually 'open' environ-ment. Initiatives like the Association of Geospatial Indus-tries (AGI) are expected to transform the parties into acohesive body, geared up to address the emerging(geospatial) challenges in the country. The formation ofthe OGC India Forum also bodes well for the industry.

These initiatives are timely, as the potential for India'sinternal geospatial markets is enormous. Current GOIplans call for geospatial capabilities that are larger thanthe geospatial industry can currently provide. As India'seconomic development unfolds, geospatial capabilitieswill be an integral part and will grow at vigorous rates.

Indian vendors and governments could consider thefollowing actions to build needed capacity and capture theemerging markets' full potential:

GGaaiinn ffrroomm tthhee eexxppeerriieennccee ooff ootthheerrss:: India's geospatialsituation is quite similar to Europe's twenty years ago.The European Union (EU) recognised the value of consis-tent, standard geospatial information and created a policyframework that facilitates the best use of geospatialinformation for economic development. The EU initiative,INSPIRE, has taken years and endured lot of political tur-moil to establish. INSPIRE is still a work in progress, butit works. INSPIRE has become an integral part of the EU'spolicy and legal framework. INSPIRE is dynamic andbuilds on the ongoing efforts of standards groups like theOGC, national security agencies, and many diverse map-ping agencies. There is no good reason for India to incurthe costs, time and political expense that the EU hasalready paid. While India's situation is unique, the princi-ples that the EU has developed will be valuable and canreduce the time and costs of GOI geospatial projects.

{GGeeoossppaattiiaall ddaattaa ppllaayyss aa vviittaall rroollee iinn IInnddiiaa,,uunnddeerrppiinnss tthhee nnaattiioonn''ss ddoommeessttiicc eeccoonnoomm--iicc aaccttiivviittiieess,, aaiiddss oouurr nnaattiioonnaall ccoommppeettiittiivvee--nneessss aanndd ssuuppppoorrttss aa llaarrggee aarrrraayy ooff ggoovv--eerrnnmmeenntt ssoocciioo--eeccoonnoommiicc iinniittiiaattiivveess

KK KK SSiinngghhChairman and Managing Director

Rolta India Limited

}SSoo ffaarr,, wwee hhaavvee bbeeeenn pprroodduucciinngg tthheemmaattiiccddaattaa,, bbuutt wwiitthh CCeennssuuss 22001111 wwee aarree nnoowweevvoollvviinngg ttoo ooffffeerr aa GGIISS--bbaasseedd ddeecciissiioonn ssuupp--ppoorrtt ssyysstteemm ffoorr ppoolliiccyy mmaakkeerrss bbyy bbrriinnggiinnggssppaattiiaall aanndd nnoonn--ssppaattiiaall ddaattaa ttooggeetthheerr

DDrr.. CC.. CChhaannddrraammoouulliiRegistrar General and Census CommissionerGovernment of India

Geospatial World II September 201026

HP Singapore AdPage 27

Geospatial World II September 2010 27

PPllaannnniinngg ffoorr ddaattaa iinntteeggrraattiioonn aanndd rreeuussee.. GOI's plansfor geospatial projects offer little guidance for data inte-gration and reuse. Today, most geospatial projects aremanaged by local groups with little thought given to howthe outputs can be reused. GOI's projects are large andstill gaining experience, so certain shortcomings are to beexpected. But, in the long run, the current lack of long-term planning, design and data architecture is likely toforce the government to rework the current projects,before the state and national governments can realise thebenefits of integrated systems.

TTrraaiinniinngg nneeww ggeeoossppaattiiaall pprrooffeessssiioonnaallss.. Current GOIgeospatial projects will require more skilled workers thanare available or will be trained by the current educationsystem. This situation will create a skilled manpowershortage and will drive up labour costs unnecessarily. Thegeospatial industry would need to consider ways/means

to improve the educational system for geospatial workersat skilled and semi-skilled levels.

OOrrggaanniissaattiioonnaall mmeecchhaanniissmm ttoo eeffffeecctt ppoolliicciieess,, ssttaann--ddaarrddss aanndd bbeesstt pprraaccttiicceess:: In North America and the EU,professional geospatial organisations play an importantrole in defining policies, setting standards and recognis-ing best practices. These organisations represent users,vendors and government, often in the same forums. Theworking relationships and social connections developedwithin these groups are the basis for effective action at alllevels. In this arena, the recently formed Association ofGeospatial Industries (AGI) and the OGC India Forum aretimely. It is hoped that the emerging geospatial communi-ty will participate and strengthen those organisations. Ifthat does occur, those organisations can become a valu-able channel for policy makers, vendors and users alike.

AAnnaallyyssiiss ooff rreettuurrnn oonn iinnvveessttmmeenntt ((RROOII)):: Often geospa-tial projects are implemented without any ROI assess-ment. Many projects include some cursory assessmentdone as a gesture toward "good management" and for-gotten soon after. Without any clear understanding of realvalue, geospatial projects are often seen as just an exer-cise in spending money. People managing effective proj-ects, measure returns constantly. The reason is simple:Unless the project's value is understood, the project haslittle value. This simple and clear lesson from successfulorganisations is often forgotten in the rush to "get thework done."

CAPACITY BUILDING

Capacity building is key to capitalise on the opportunitiespresented before the Indian geospatial industry. India istaking due note. India has well defined courses in variousdisciplines of geographical information science at under-graduate as well as post graduate levels. The courses arerun as an allied subject to geography or as stand-alonecourses in GIS, Remote Sensing, Geoinformatics, Geomatic Science, Surveying etc. Public-private partner-ship is also making its presence felt. Recently, Roltasigned a formal MOU with Central Board of SecondaryEducation (CBSE) as the resource partner for providingGeospatial Technology Vocation Course, for XI & XIIstandard students. This course is an initiative of theHuman Resource Development ministry under the lead-ership of Minister Kapil Sibal as a part of its vision foreducation sector and to provide employment for a largenumber of youth in the country.

Geospatial World II September 201028

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RRaajjeesshh CC MMaatthhuurrVice Chairman

NIIT GIS

GIANTS AMONG THE PROJECTS

Re-structured Accelerated Power Development & Reform Programme (R-APDRP)

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• GIS mapping, metering of distribution and feeders

• Automatic data logging for all distribution transformers and feeders andsupervisory control and data acquisition/document management system

FFUUNNDD AALLLLOOCCAATTIIOONN

1500 crore for Part A (Core Geospatial) in 11th Five Year Plan.

National Land Records Modernisation Programme (NLRMP)

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Ushering in the system of conclusive titling.

MMAAJJOORR CCOOMMPPOONNEENNTTSS

• Computerisation of all land records including mutations

• Survey/re-survey and updation of all survey and settlement records includ-ing creation of original cadastral records wherever necessary

• Computerisation of registration and its integration with the land recordsmaintainence system and development of core GIS

FFUUNNDD AALLLLOOCCAATTIIOONN

`1000 crore in 11th Five Year Plan.